Earlier this week, the United States Supreme Court issued an opinion regarding appeals of orders denying relief from the automatic stay. Generally, the automatic stay (section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code) prevents creditors from taking action against the debtor’s assets outside the bankruptcy process. In order to continue debt collection efforts, creditors can file a
As a follow-up to our recent post about the Imerys Talc bankruptcy proceedings (the chapter 11 cases filed by a supplier of talc to cosmetic and other companies, like Johnson & Johnson), last week the Imerys Debtors brought suit in their Chapter 11 cases against two affiliated coal companies.
The new adversary proceeding relates to
This week, a electricity supplier, Starion Energy, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and the case is pending before the Honorable Mary F. Walrath.
The Debtor claims that it needs bankruptcy protection because of pending litigation that was brought by the
In a recent opinion, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas held that an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) action brought against an employer for alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is excepted from the automatic stay by 11 U.S.C.§ 362(b)(4) (police and regulatory power
In a recent opinion, the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York concluded that the “law of the case” doctrine did not bind the court to its prior ruling that a trustee had adequately alleged claims against debtors for turnover, conversion, and violations of the automatic stay.
In Geltzer v. Brizinova, et al.
In a 16 page opinion released January 28, 2016 in the Casino Caribbean, et al. v. Money Centers of America adversary proceeding (Bank. D. Del. Adv. No. 14-50437), Judge Christopher S. Sontchi of the Delaware Bankruptcy Court granted the motion of Quapaw Casino to intervene in the adversary proceeding. Judge Sontchi’s opinion is available here
Very often in the course of a bankruptcy proceeding, a creditor with a pending lawsuit against the debtor will need to obtain relief from the automatic stay in order to continue to prosecute the pre-petition litigation. For example, personal injury claimants who seek to recover solely against an insurance policy of a debtor may obtain
In a 23 page opinion released July 21, 2015 in the Trump Entertainment Resorts case (Bank. D. Del. 14-12103), Judge Kevin Gross of the Delaware Bankruptcy Court opined upon the interaction of the Bankruptcy Code’s automatic stay and the Norris-LaGuardia Act (“NLA”). Judge Gross’ opinion is available here (the “Opinion”).
We have previously posted
In an 19 page opinion issued April 1, 2015 in the SS Body Armor I, Inc. Bankruptcy (10-11255), Judge Sontchi held that an action to compel a shareholder meeting is not barred by the automatic stay of 11 U.S.C. 362. The Opinion is Available Here.
Background
This case if full of drama; the Debtors’ former
The automatic stay is one of the most powerful protections provided to debtors in a bankruptcy proceeding. The stay acts as an injunction that prohibits creditors (including landlords) from commencing or continuing any proceeding against the debtor which could have been commenced prior to the bankruptcy. Applied to landlords, the automatic stay prohibits efforts to